About “Dear John”

“Dear John” is an ode to Taylor’s short-lived relationship with fellow singer-songwriter John Mayer. Taylor conveys her feelings of frustration over the fact that she was warned about John’s manipulative ways yet still pursued him.

Throughout the song, there are multiple references to Mayer directly, including the mention of their almost ten-year age gap and even his name. Musically, Taylor added the slurs of the guitar, which is a common instrument in Mayer’s inventory.

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What have the artists said about the song?

In an issue of Glamour magazine, Taylor called John Mayer “presumptuous” for saying that he was “really humiliated” by the song’s lyrics. She went on to say that she did not want to hear his comments about the song, because of her desire to stay happy.

I know it wasn’t good, so I don’t want to know. I put a high priority on staying happy, and I know what I can’t handle. It’s not that I’m this egomaniac and I don’t want to hear anything negative, because I do keep myself in check, but I’ve never developed that thick a skin. So I just kind of live a life, and I let all the gossip live somewhere else. If you go too far down the rabbit hole of what people think about you, it can change everything about who you are.